Receiving the scholarship from Benjamin Civiletti, which I am so thankful for, strengthens my understanding of the importance of giving to benefit others. I am so grateful for the opportunity to study law and begin a meaningful career. I believe in the power of education and plan on giving back to future students.

Lucia Cook, Francis King Carey School of Law, The Civiletti Scholarship

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Meet the Fellows

2017-2018 President's Fellows

Wesley Chan

School of Medicine

Saniya Chaudhry

School of Pharmacy

Saniya Chaudhry is a second year pharmacy student at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2016.

She is currently serving as the Phi Lambda Sigma Leadership Society's President Elect and the APhA-ASP Pre-Pharmacy Mentorship Co-Chair at her school. Saniya's passions include learning about different cultures, equal access to healthcare for all, and promoting diversity and acceptance. She hopes to pursue a clinical pharmacy residency after graduation and provide services for underprivileged populations.

She is excited to be a part of the President's Fellow program, so she can do her part to encourage a more inclusive campus.

Molly Crothers

School of Nursing

Molly Crothers is currently a second year nursing student pursuing her first undergraduate degree. She completed her pre-requisites and obtained a Global Public Health Certificate at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is where Molly's love for public health grew, particularly in the area of women’s health.

During the summer of 2017 she was a member of an Interprofessional Project through the Global Education Initiative Office where she and a group of other UMB students examined the barriers to retention of HIV care in Liberia. Additionally, Molly is an undergraduate research assistant in the Pain and Translational Symptom Science Department. These experiences reinforced her desire to continue her education after she completes her BSN to become a midwife and a family nurse practitioner in order to interact with the community locally and globally.

During this fellowship Molly hopes to explore and evaluate how the UMB campus is promoting global literacy in nursing and ways that nursing can collaborate with other professions to promote global literacy and a culturally competent health care system.

Rhiya Dave

School of Medicine, MPH

Rhiya received her bachelors in Biological Anthropology from the George Washington University. This degree provided her a vehicle to shape her passion for understanding socio-cultural factors and other elements of human life that impact health. With this mindset, Rhiya decided to pursue my Master's in Public Health. She is concentrating in Global Health because of how inter-connected the world is today and because diseases do not respect political boundaries.

Rhiya has conducted clinical research at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute and at the Children's National Medical Center - Fetal Medicine Institute. More recently, she was allowed the opportunity to travel to Botswana through UMB's Center for Global Education Initiative and work on research to help understand the efficacy of their HIV program.

Rhiya's future career goals include becoming a physician. To better understand the systems and world that have helped shape the patients that come to doctors, it is important to understand influences and relationships in their lives. Global literacy is not a topic one can learn in a semester. It is a subject that is a lifelong study. Rhiya plans on using global literacy in all aspects of her career because it will allow her to be a better student, a better physician and most importantly, a better world citizen.

Alexandra Huss

School of Social Work

Alexandra received her BA in English Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her love of literature extended itself into a passion for analyzing diverse characters and individuals, which inspired her to pursue a Master's Degree in Social Work. Alexandra has taught English in Thailand and South Africa, and maintains a love of international learning. She also currently works as a consultant in the UMB Writing Center, collaborating with students across disciplines and cultures. Through encouraging and researching global literacy as a fellow, she hopes to help broaden horizons, as well as to help create opportunities for others through language and cultural exchange.

Alexandra's focus of study is trauma-informed care, and she seeks to become a clinical counselor and advocate for those who have experienced trauma. Alexandra volunteers as a Victim's Advocate, joining survivors of sexual assault in the ER in order to help make them aware of their rights and available services. Pairing her love of service and literature, she is enthusiastic about creating resources that connect a diverse array of individuals to the global community.

Esther Kimani

School of Pharmacy

Esther Kimani was born and raised in Kenya and is a fourth year pharmacy student at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. She completed her Associates of Arts Degree with a focus in Chemistry and Biology at the Community College of Baltimore County and graduated as Magna Cum Laude in 2011.

During her time at the School of Pharmacy, Esther has held several leadership positions which include: president of Alpha Zeta Omega Pharmaceutical Fraternity; Grassroots and Advocacy Committee Leader of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy; Bi-Weekly Director of Christian Pharmacy Fellowship International. Esther is currently the Alumni Liaison of Alpha Zeta Omega Pharmaceutical Fraternity.

Currently, Esther works as a Pharmacist Intern for CVS, which has provided her with an opportunity to apply the knowledge, and skills acquired in the classroom through patient counseling and performing various tasks. After graduation, Esther is interested in becoming a community pharmacist and eventually opening her own pharmacy.

Esther plans on applying all the pearls that she will learn from being a global literacy fellow in the future. She sees her role as a pharmacist as way tackle the unavailability of pharmaceutical clinics in some third world countries. Esther plans to form collaborations between pharmacist from industrialized countries and pharmacists from third world countries to promote learning and exchange of ideas and knowledge. Her hope is that this will result in implementing changes that would improve the pharmaceutical clinics in all countries involved. She believes that her experience, as a global literacy fellow, will help equip and enable her to actualize her dream.

Elizabeth Sibrian

School of Social Work

Elizabeth Sibrian's academic pursuits are to build a foundation in the principals of social justice application in the profession of social work. Additionally, she would like to study the social paradigms that influence the community culturally as she believes it is essential for progress towards a better society.

Elizabeth aspires to combine social work and law in her future career. Prior to pursuing graduate studies her passions was in the areas of law and health as an intern of Middle River County Jail and Case Manager at a local community clinic serving immigrant and vulnerable populations. It is her belief that interdisciplinary knowledge is essential for future visionaries, and a necessity towards growing as a social worker.

Her motivation for applying to the fellowship was the opportunity to learn more about interdisciplinary studies. Furthermore, to discover the topic of global literacy and its impact in academia seen through different professional perspectives. Elizabeth firmly believes that it is a necessity to think critically about the different factors impacting the local, cultural and global understanding of global literacy. Through this fellowship, she hopes to be able to provide information that would be helpful to the community in terms of understanding the inter connection of traits in a global and local perspective.

Nana Akua Tufuoh

School of Law

Nana Akua Tufuoh completed a dual degree program at the University of Florida, where she received a B.S. in Health Science and a B.A. in Economics in 2015. She is now in her final year of the Juris Doctor program at the University of Maryland School of Law and is pursuing concentrations in healthcare law and business law.

Nana is passionate about addressing issues of global concern through law and policy. She has experience with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where her research focused on legal aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic such as criminalization. As a student attorney in the School of Law’s legal clinic, she assisted clients of low-income with matters ranging from custody to housing. She is currently completing an externship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in which she is investigating policy efforts around newborn screening for sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nana is eager to contribute to the promotion of global literacy on campus as a President’s Fellow.

The 2016 - 2017 President's Fellows examined the best ways for the University to prepare students for entrepreneurial careers, with an emphasis on technology transfer and social entrepreneurship.

Chinonye Donna Egbulem

School of Social Work & School of Medicine (Public Health)

During the 2016-2017 acedemic year, Chinonye Donna Egbulem was a research consultant and aspiring entrepreneur with over 5 years of experience in global health and development policy research. Additionally, she was in her final year of the MSW/MPH dual degree program at UMB. She has worked collaboratively on national and international-level projects to contribute to capacity-building training and technical assistance projects. Prior to graduate school, she served in the Peace Corps as a Community Health Development Agent in Burkina Faso. Her academic and community work have focused on reducing health disparities, improving access to maternal and child health care among transient populations, and decreasing violence in Baltimore City. She has a keen interest in fortifying public health infrastructures by explicitly linking and aligning health care delivery systems with community resources and social services.

Anna Hung

School of Pharmacy

During the 2016-2017 acedemic year, Anna Hung, PharmD, was a PhD candidate in the Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR) graduate program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

Anna received her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Maryland and Pharm.D. from the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. She has research experience with the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology, University of Maryland Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine Health Professions- Student Training in Aging Research Program, and World Health Organization. She was selected for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP)/Foundation of Managed Care Pharmacy (FMCP)/Pfizer internship and FMCP/Allergan internship two years in a row. She has further managed care and industry experience from the Department of Defense Pharmacoeconomic Center, Biotechnology Industry Organization, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

In the School of Pharmacy Anna has served as a mentor for the Phi Lambda Sigma Leadership Society, member of the Assessment Committee, Ambassador for the Pharmacy Quality Alliance, President of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research student chapter, and research assistant for Professor C. Daniel Mullins. Her research interests include pharmacoeconomics, comparative effectiveness research, and patient-centered outcomes research.

Ben Portney

Graduate School, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

During the 2016-2017 acedemic year, Benjamin Portney was a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine where he studied cellular immortality and the role of the embryonic gene pathways in cancer. Ben is also interested in adult stem cell biology and its applications in regenerative medicine.

When not busy in the lab, Ben is passionate about entrepreneurship and commercializing new and innovative technologies.

Camilo Vanegas

Graduate School, Molecular Medicine

Camilo Vanegas grew up in Columbia, Maryland and attended the ARL Biotechnology career academy which forever changed his outlook on science. He continued to pursue and explore his passions in multiple laboratories at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and graduated with a BS in Kinesiology. While attending UMCP he fell in love with improving the human condition and decided to attend the University of Maryland school of Medicine, Graduate Program in Life Sciences. During the 2016-2017 acedemic year, Camilo was a 4th year PhD candidate in the Molecular Medicine program working on understanding the mechanisms behind skeletal muscle movement with regards to calcium channels and interacting proteins. Camilo hopes to one day make biology as ubiquitous and user-friendly as an iPhone so that anyone can enjoy its beauty.

Photo credits: Adrienne Kambouris, MS1, MD/PhD Student, University of Maryland School of Medicine

The 2015 - 2016 President's Fellows tackled the complex subject of cultural competence and the University's role in educating culturally aware professionals.

Amy GreensfelderSchool of Social Work

During the 2015 - 2016 academic year, Amy Greensfelder was in her third year as a part-time student working on her Masters in Social Work. Ms. Greensfelder co-chairs the International Social Work Organization at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and sits on the interprofessional Student Global Advisory Council (SGAC). In the Spring of 2015 through the SGAC Ms. Greensfelder organized a training for UMB students, faculty, and staff on cultural competence and working with interpreters which was facilitated by an internationally recognized leader in the field. In the summer of 2014 Ms. Greensfelder was offered a UMB Interprofessional Global Health Grant to participate on a project in Rwanda alongside a professor from the School of Nursing and a dentistry student. The interprofessional team worked with students from the University of Rwanda (UR) on developing a student satisfaction survey for UR. Ms. Greensfelder works at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she serves as the Refugee Mental Health Program Coordinator. She applied for this project because she was interested in exploring how cultural competence, humility, and responsiveness are implemented and taught throughout the campus. She is excited at the prospect of working with students from across the UMB disciplines on putting theory into action.

Catherine Lee

Carey School of Law & Smith School of Business (UMCP)

During the 2015 - 2016 academic year, Catherine Lee was currently a second year law student at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. She is active member of the Maryland Carey Service Corp and a student leader for the Community Impact Program – both of which are designed to promote and facilitate service within the Baltimore community and beyond. Additionally, Catherine serves as the staff editor for the Maryland Journal of International Law and a Writing Fellow for first year law students. She specifically applied to be a President’s Fellow for the 2015-2016 academic year because of its focus on Cultural Competence. This past summer, Catherine participated in a Global Health Grant program offered through the University entitled “Access to Justice,” wherein students from the law and social work schools traveled to Malawi, Africa, to learn about the challenges and solutions related to access to justice in the region. This experience, coupled with past academic and professional endeavors, have further reenforced the importance of cultural awareness, competence, and sensitivity in personal, academic, and professional life. Catherine feels honored to receive this opportunity and looks forward to serving as a President’s Fellow this year.

Kattrina Merlo

School of Nursing

During the 2015 - 2016 academic year, Kattrina Merlo was a second year student at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She received her BA in International Studies from Notre Dame of Maryland University and her Masters of Public Health from Emory University. After graduate school she served two years in the Peace Corps in Honduras working on HIV prevention and maternal and child health. Prior to beginning nursing school, she worked for Farmworker Justice, a non-profit in Washington, DC, directing a national HIV prevention project in farmworker and rural Latino communities. Kattrina is looking forward to starting her nursing career and combining her public health and nursing skills. She hopes to continue working with immigrant populations and providing services to “hardly reached” communities. Her experience overseas and working with immigrant populations in the United States have shown her the importance of cultural competence, especially in the field of health care. Through the President’s Fellowship she looks forward to exploring cultural competence throughout the different campuses of the university and discussing ways to improve the education and training of professionals on this important topic.

Dylan Peterson

School of Medicine

During the 2015 - 2016 academic year, Dylan Peterson was a third year medical student at the University of Maryland School Of Medicine. Dylan is originally from the Pacific Northwest, and graduated from the University of Washington in 2011 with a degree in Microbiology. Before enrolling in medical school, Dylan worked as a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. During this time he also interned at the Urban Indian Health Institute, where he was introduced to the many ways in which that institution tailors its services to provide culturally competent care to American Indian patients in the Northwest. After he graduates in 2017, Dylan plans on pursuing a residency in a primary care field like Family Medicine or Medicine-Pediatrics. He has committed to working with medically underserved populations through the National Health Service Corps once he is trained as a physician. Dylan knows that in this role he will work with diverse communities, and he believes that participating in the President’s Symposium will contribute to his understanding of how to practice and promote cultural competency in his career and in health care more broadly.

Harlyn Susarla

School of Dentistry

During the 2015 - 2016 academic year, Harlyn was a second year pediatric dental resident at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and the University of Maryland Medical Center. As a resident, she has acted as the dental liaison for the interdisciplinary team at UMMC and UMSOD addressing the oral healthcare needs of pediatric oncology and transplant patients prior to transplantation. Harlyn is a fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and was inducted into the Harvard Odontological Society. She is also an active member of various other dental organizations, including the Maryland Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the Maryland Dental Action Coalition.

Harlyn received a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College, her Master of Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health, and her Doctor of Dental Medicine from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where she completed a thesis entitled, “The Reporting of Race and Ethnicity Information in Dental Public Health Literature”. As a dental student, she was also an ADEA Gies Foundation / American Association for Dental Research Dental Careers Fellow. Harlyn is actively involved in research regarding dental public health, dental education, craniofacial anomalies, and pediatric dentistry. In the future, she hopes to dedicate her career to providing accessible, high-quality pediatric dental services to vulnerable populations.

Mudit Verma

School of Pharmacy

During the 2015 - 2016 academic year, Mudit Verma was a second year PharmD candidate at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Mudit received his BS from the University of Maryland, College Park in Psychology with a Minor in Leadership Studies. Mudit is an avid mental health advocate who strives to become a culturally competent pharmacist. He aspires to gain admission into a psychiatric pharmacy residency or fellowship program upon graduation. Mudit envisions becoming a psychiatric or mental health pharmacist that treats underprivileged communities on a global basis. Overall, Mudit’s career interest stems from global health initiatives and mental health advocacy. He aspires to develop a well-rounded, cultured approach to patient counseling as a President’s Fellow since pharmacists serve as accessible healthcare professionals who cater to culturally diverse patient population. In addition, Mudit intends to research the ways in which culture defines the context of how mental health manifests in different patient populations in hopes of learning how he can better improve patient adherence to medication regimens in multicultural contexts. Ultimately, Mudit intends to optimize medication counseling in multicultural contexts since culturally competent communication is critical to patient understanding of consistent medication adherence.

Marla Yee

School of Dentistry & School of Medicine (Public Health)

Marla Yee is from Kingston, Jamaica, and during the 2015 - 2016 academic year was a fourth year dual degree DDS/MPH student. She is currently in her clinical years at the School of Dentistry and is also completing her Master in Public Health degree with a concentration in Community and Population Health. In 2009, Marla graduated from Haverford College, PA where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Her interests in working with underserved populations and health disparities have guided her academic pursuits, and have also inspired her application to the President’s Fellowship. Her interest in health disparities has led her to design a research project that investigated racial/ethnic differences in oral health literacy among patients seeking dental care at the School of Dentistry. Marla is also committed to serving the community and promoting healthy behaviors. In 2014, she was selected as a Paul Ambrose Scholar to design and implement a community-level public health project. As a Scholar, she worked to promote oral cancer awareness in Baltimore City and provided free cancer screenings to residents. Marla currently serves as the Vice President of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry Chapter of the Student National Dental Association. She is excited to participate in the President’s Fellowship and is looking forward to sharing what she learned about Cultural Competence with the UMB community.

During the 2014 - 2015 academic year, Alisha Ellis was a third year, full-time student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Alisha currently works a legislative aide for state Senator Joan Carter Conway. While in law school, Alisha has interned with the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health law and the A.A.R.P. Foundation Health care litigation group. She is a member of several student organizations at the law school including, the student health law organization, the legislative and advocacy organization, the Maryland Service Corp and Maryland public interest organization along with serving on the student canned castle committee where she sits on the board of the Lawyers Campaign Against Hunger.

Alisha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Spelman College, a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and a Master’s Degree i n Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work. Alisha also earned a post-master’s certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice from NYU Silver School of Social Work. Alisha is a licensed clinical social worker. As a social work professional, Alisha gained significant experience in oncology providing counseling and programmatic support to men and women diagnosed with breast and gynecologic cancers. Additionally, Alisha has significant trauma experience working with clients and corporations to address workplace violence, trauma and disaster preparedness.

Jessica Galang

School of Nursing

During thr 2014 - 2015 academic year, Jessica Galang was an incoming traditional BSN student at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She received her BA with Honors in Psychology from Stanford University in 2011. Since then, she has worked as a research coordinator in mental health for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and the Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center. Jessica looks forward to starting her nursing career and conducting research from a health and human services perspective. Through the President’s Fellowship, she hopes to promote community engagement throughout the university and surrounding Baltimore City community.

Emily Smith GoeringSchool of Social Work

During the 2014 - 2015 academic year, Emily Smith Goering was a PhD student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Social Work. Emily received her MSW from The University of Texas, Austin and BSW from Bethel College in Kansas. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies Emily was a licensed social worker with experience in both the non-profit and government sectors. During that time she was also a teaching assistant for courses in community and organizational dynamics as well as human services leadership. Her current research projects include evaluating the impact of neighborhood development initiatives and research on organizational capacity in the human service sector. Emily’s primary research interest is in the intersection of social work and technology, specifically related to how technology can benefit human service organizations and the child welfare workforce.

During her graduate studies at UT Emily served as a graduate assistant in the University Division of Diversity and Community Engagement focusing on the promotion of Academic Service Learning across the UT campus. She is looking forward to participating in the Presidents Fellowship and further exploring the important topic of university community engagement.

Dorothy Kenny

School of Medicine (Physical Therapy)

During the 2014 - 2015 academic year, Dorothy Kenny was a second year student in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at UMB. She received a BA in Biology and in History in 2008, and a MA in Historical Studies in 2010 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her Master’s research focused on environmental health policy, and she presented her research at the 2010 American Geophysical Union. She worked for two years as a psychiatric rehabilitation aide and day program coordinator at Partners in Development Group, a psychiatric rehabilitation program assisting severely mentally ill adults in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County. She is currently president of Project Jump Start, a student organization, which provides bagged lunches to local homeless men and women around the UMB campus. Dorothy would like to focus her career on providing physical therapy services to underserved populations. Dorothy’s Interests include camping, swimming, and volunteer-work.

Maurice Mayo Jr.

School of Social Work

During the 2014 - 2015 academic year, Maurice Mayo Jr. was a graduate student in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Maryland-Baltimore with a specialization in community action and social policy. Maurice received his B.A. in African American Studies from the University of Maryland-College Park (UMCP) in 2010.

Maurice is a native Baltimorean and has worked within the community in several capacities. Maurice is currently employed at the Food and Drug Administration as Congressional Affairs Assistant in the Office of the Commissioner’s Office of Legislation. Maurice has also served as an intern at The Maryland Center for Veteran’s Education and Training (MCVET) in which he assisted homeless veterans attain sobriety and permanent housing. Maurice has also served as a program coordinator for The Central Baptist Church Annual Fall Fest which provides school supplies, health services and education to the Booth-Boyd Community. Maurice also serves as a volunteer at The Gift of Love Center, a local food pantry sponsored by The Central Baptist Church. Moreover, Maurice is a member of the Boyd-Booth Community Association.

Maurice’s experience in research is embedded in his desire to uncover strategies to improve the welfare of low-income communities. Under the tutelage of faculty at UMCP, Maurice has served as principal investigator into public health issues that exist within the Anacostia Community located in Washington, D.C. Maurice has assisted principal investigators at the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) examine the impact of substance abuse on violence among African American Men. Moreover, Maurice’s inquisitiveness has led him to currently operate as a research assistant in a research project aimed at analyzing the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. Among his areas of interest, Maurice is interested in community revitalization, substance abuse, education and public health. Maurice is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated. During the 2014 - 2015 academic year, Maurice interned in The Executive Office of the President Office of National Drug Control Policy. In the near future Maurice hopes to pursue a doctorate in social work.

Emily Meyer

School of Dentistry

During the 2014 - 2015 academic year, Emily Meyer was a third year dental student at The School of Dentistry and received her BS from The Pennsylvania State University in Nutritional Sciences. She has been very involved in community engagement during her first two years in dental school as leader and member of many community service organizations including Mission of Mercy, The Hispanic Dental Association, The Maryland Association of Pediatric Dentists and Healthy Smiles Healthy Children. Recently Emily worked with The Jacques Initiative here at The Medical School to plan an oral health screening event during the HIV Outreach Day in the surrounding community. The link between nutrition and oral health has inspired her to work with young children to prevent oral health issues like cavities as well as weight related health concerns. Emily enjoys visiting elementary schools to teach young children about the importance of taking care of their teeth and how to make healthy food and drink choices. During her free time Emily enjoys knitting, hiking, reading, volunteering, fitness, and watching movies. Emily is excited to continue to engage with the surrounding community while participating in the President’s Fellowship.

Jazmyn Thompson

School of Medicine (Public Health)

During the 2014 - 2015 academic year, Jazmyn Thompson was a second year Master of Public Health student with a concentration in Community and Population Health. Jazmyn attended Hampton University where she received her BA degree in Psychology, as well as a minor in Leadership Studies. Jazmyn is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. During her first year at UMB, Jazmyn became a member of the American Public Health Association, and was acknowledged as a Gold Award recipient for the President’s Student Leadership Institute. She currently works as a Project Coordinator for UMB’s Center for Community-based Engagement and Learning, where she seeks to increase childcare availability in Southwest Baltimore in order to improve employment opportunities for community residents.

During the 2014-2015 school year, Jazmyn will serve as a student leader for the Master of Public Health Program. She is a member of Class 5 of the Baltimore Collegetown LeaderShape program and was recently selected as a University of Maryland, Women’s Forum scholarship recipient.

Jazmyn’s interests include family health, community outreach, health promotion and education, health prevention, and leadership development. In the future, she plans to work with underserved communities in order to improve the social determinants that influence health outcomes.

During the 2013 - 2014 academic year, Tyler Coyle was a PGY-2 Preventive Medicine resident at UMB. He received his B.A. in History of Science & Medicine from Yale University in 2005 and his M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in 2010. He completed his intern year in internal medicine at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. After taking a hiatus from medicine following neck surgery, he will complete his M.S. at UMB in Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine in 2014.

In medical school, Tyler was the co-president for the P&S Club -- the nation's largest medical student activities organization with an annual budget of ~$150k -- and also served as the medical liaison to the Doctor for a Day program, a New York City non-profit that exposes local 5th graders to the medical profession. He has recently been the guest speaker at two University of Maryland seminars, "Writing for the Health Professions."

Curtis Gallagher

Graduate School - Molecular Medicine

Curtis was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the heart of Amish country. He received his B.S. in biology from York College of Pennsylvania in 2009 and during the 2013 - 2014 academic year he was a graduate student in the Ph.D. Program in Molecular Medicine. His research focus was the role of erg K+ channels in the brain, specifically the hippocampus. He utilized electrophysiology and confocal imaging with acute hippocampal slices and primary cultured hippocampal neurons to explore the functional role of different erg isoforms in the hippocampus and how they could functionally be a risk factor for schizophrenia. During his time within the Molecular Medicine program, Curtis established collaborations with the Physiology department in the labs of Dr. Scott Thompson (Chair) and Dr. Tom Blanpied in order to study the putative role of erg in neuronal hyperexcitability and synaptic transmission.

In addition to his graduate work, Curtis is a budding entrepreneur and inventor of life science products. One invention of his was previously “patent pending” and his idea for a lab resource sharing software program is being implemented by UMB. Recently, he has begun a collaboration with the FDA’s MedWatch team to implement a novel approach to increase medication adverse event reporting by consumers. He is eager to begin his President’s Fellowship, working with his colleagues to recommend a strategy for implementation of formal Interprofessional Eductation at UMB and authoring a white paper on the subject. Upon graduation, Curtis hopes to use the scientific and creative experience that he is gaining at UMB to enter the field of life science technology transfer and commercialization.

Alexis Gorden, MD

Graduate School - Life Sciences

During the 2013 - 2014 academic year, Alexis Gorden, MD was a clinical gastroenterology fellow as well as a graduate student in the PhD Program for Clinicians through the Graduate Program in Life Sciences. Alexis was raised in Washington, DC and received her Bacherlor's of Science degree in Psychology from Brown University. She attended New York University School of Medicine and completed a year-long research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute research scholar. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical Center. Alexis’ clinical and research interests include the relationship between obesity and digestive diseases. She has authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and has been a speaker at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease Conference, and the Maryland Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Minerva Hughes

Carey School of Law

During the 2013 - 2014 academic year, Minerva hughes was a student at the Carey School of Law pursuing broad interests in health law and public service. Before starting at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Minerva completed a doctoral research program at the Johns Hopkins University where she worked on new approaches to combat the tuberculosis pandemic. She also has almost 10 years of professional experience as a scientific lead on interdisciplinary teams undertaking the clinical development of new medicines. As a law student, Minerva has completed a legal internship at the Mississippi Center for Justice, working on access to healthcare issues, and the University’s President Clinic on interdisciplinary team-based health care. She is member of several scientific and student organizations, most notably, the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, and Maryland’s Student Health Law Organization. In her free time, Minerva enjoys giving back to the community and has volunteered for several University community outreach programs. She looks forward to continued community service in the upcoming school year.

Jueli Li

School of Pharmacy

During the 2013 - 2014 academic year, Jueli Li was a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Prior to pharmacy school, she completed internships at the National Institutes of Health and at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where she worked in collaborative teams to research the mechanisms of mental health diseases and to study the proliferation of breast cancer cells, respectively. While in school, Jueli has been selected for the Pharmacotherapy Pathway, a program that improves the marketability of students pursuing a post-graduate residency program through various didactic requirements and the completion of a multidisciplinary Capstone research project. Furthermore, she has worked alongside esteemed faculty to develop evidence-based continuing education programs for healthcare practitioners through the University of Maryland Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions. In her spare time, Jueli has devoted herself toward providing resources to the Baltimore City community. Currently, she is spearheading a team of faculty and student colleagues to improve health literacy and “school ready” programs for indigent families. Through the President’s Fellowship, Jueli hopes to showcase the value of pharmacy within the interdisciplinary team in order to create a more dynamic, collaborative environment. She plans to pursue a clinical pharmacy residency upon matriculation.

Vy Nguyen

School of Pharmacy

During the 2013 - 2014 academic year, Vy Nguyen was a second year student at the School of Pharmacy. Her first experience with interprofessional education was through the competition of a multidisciplinary four-year research program at the University of Maryland, College Park. During pharmacy school, she continued to receive opportunities to learn from students and faculty of different professions through her participation in a research program offered by the Office of Student Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Currently, she is promoting further interschool collaboration by co-coordinating a campus-wide HIV/AIDS Awareness Month initiative. By participating in the President’s Fellowship, she hopes to help demonstrate the value of interprofessional collaboration in both academic and professional settings.

Kim Solovy

School of Social Work

Kaila Williams

School of Social Work

During the 2013 - 2014 academic year, Kaila Williams was an advanced year student in the School of Social Work. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Jacksonville University and has a wide variety of experience with IPE from attending The Geriatric Assessment Interdisciplinary Team (GAIT) program and The Navigating Transitions Along the Care Continuum for Frail Older Adults to her personal experience in the importance of interdisciplinary communication at the Baltimore County Department of Aging and her participation as a member of an interdisciplinary team at her current field placement at Union Memorial. She has gained research experience by assisting several professors at the School of Social Work in their individual studies and recently completed a summer research position at World Relief.

Kaila also remains engaged in her local community by volunteering as an Affordable Care Act Ambassador for Healthcare for All, co-organizing the Strategic Planning Committee at Milford Mill United Methodist Church, and working on the Outreach Committee for the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week 2012. Her most recent accomplishment in the field of aging includes receiving the Gwendolyn C. Lee Award for Innovative Practice awarded for a holistic health program implemented at the Baltimore County Department of Aging. In the future, she intends to pursue a Doctorate in Social Work focusing on the implementation and evaluation of programs for aging adults.

The 2012 - 2013 President's Fellows aimed to identify and explore contemporary issues facing the University on the topic of civility.

Abdalla Aly

School of Pharmacy

Abdalla Aly received his bachelors of pharmacy degree from Misr International University in Egypt in 2007 and worked as a teaching assistant and a pharmacist for 2 years. Starting 2009, he joined the doctoral program in the department of pharmaceutical health services research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore where he conducted comparative effectiveness research, cost-effectiveness analysis, and outcomes research with a particular interest in modeling heterogeneity of treatment effects and costs in oncology.

Casey Brent

School of Social Work

Casey Brent is a Baltimore City native, and during the 2012 - 2013 academic year was a student in the School of Social Work’s Social Action and Community Development program. Upon graduation her immediate goals are to work with Baltimore City on its WestSide Revitalization Project in an effort to rehabilitate her hometown. Ultimately, Casey would like to work with international populations and policy analysis & planning.

Victoria Chihos

Carey School of Law

During the 2012 - 2013 academic year, Victoria Chihos was interested in working in public interest law after graduation and pursuing the certificate in Healthcare Law. In addition to serving as a President's Fellow was conducted research on post-graduate public interest fellowships. Victoria was an active participant in many co-curricular activities on campus that allow her to be a valuable representative of the law school community. She guided first year law students through orientation as a peer adviser and led a team of ten (10) law students down to Mississippi on the Maryland Law Service Corps (MLSC) Health Law trip in January 2013. She has also been involved in community service activities in Baltimore City through the Maryland Public Interest Law Project. This has provided insight about the unique problems that many Baltimore City residents face.

Ian Clark

Carey School of Law

During the 2012 - 2013 academic year, Ian Clark was a rising second year law student (2L) and a member of the UMB Strategic Plan Implementation Team for interprofessional education. He also served as the co-Chair of the Strategic Plan Interprofessional Public Service and Public Practice sub-committee. Upon graduation, Ian plans to practice law for a private firm or corporation, focusing on corporate law, health law, and intellectual property law upon graduation. He aims to become an expert consultant for corporations, health systems, and academic institutions on the intersections of law, health care, business, and information technology. In addition, Ian would like to counsel leadership and mentor students on importance of collaboration, innovation, critical thinking, and public service.

Mazen El Ghaziri

School of Nursing

During the 2012 - 2013 academic year, Mazen El Ghaziri was a doctoral student in the School of Nursing. His previous two years at UMB exposed him to scholarly work in his primary interest of workplace violence (WPV), focused on organization of work and the work environment. This is driven by his intolerance to violence at the political or interpersonal levels, after growing up in a country (Lebanon) that suffered more than 15 years of civil war and unrest. Mazen’s academic and research interests are shaped primarily by his professional and career background- in addition to where he sees himself in the coming future. Key terms reflecting his research interest are: workplace violence, organization of work, work environment, quality and safety, and most important is the impact of nursing on policy making. Mazen’s career goals are so much congruent with his research interests, where he sees himself working jointly between academia and service for the advancement of the profession.

Devorah Mansdorf

School of Dentistry

During the 2012 - 2013 academic year, Devorah Mansdorf was entering her second year at the School of Dentistry. Throughout high school, college and professional school Devorah has volunteered innumerable hours to working with children and adults with disabilities. Together with others in a national organization known as YACHAD, she found a meaningful way to help bring together students and young adults, from many backgrounds, facing various challenges both intellectual and physical. Devorah feels that this work has made her committed and determined to take advantage of opportunities to narrow the gaps and build bridges between various segments in her community as a trained health professional.

Oksana Mishler

School of Social Work

During the 2012 - 2013 academic year, Oksana Mishler's academic goal was to complete her graduate research project by May 2013 and publishing the results in domestic and international professional journals. She actually met this goal early and completed her project in December 2012. She continued the President's Fellowship program while serving as staff in the School of Dentistry. At the her professional goal was to lead clinical research projects and educate foreign nations on the importance of maintaining oral health via publications. Oksana is passionate about helping the underserved, both locally and worldwide. She volunteered to provide both prophylactic and therapeutic dental hygiene services to HIV positive, financially disadvantaged adults. However, Oksana’s civic involvement was not limited to adults only. As part of the Special Olympics Special Smiles program, she educated special needs children, as well as their caregivers, on proper oral hygiene. Further, She provided basic oral hygiene instructions to Vietnamese children during Operation Smile Vietnam mission.

The 2011 - 2012 President's Fellows examined the role of UMB in infrastructure planning, business development, academic program design, and student activities.

Jeffrey Clark

School of Social Work

During the 2011 - 2012 academic year, Jeffrey was studying in the Masters of Social Work program. He received his BA in International Affairs from American University and an MA in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations from the School for International Training. Since 1998, Jeffrey has worked for non-profit, for-profit and government agencies, including a think-tank, an international development organization, newspapers, community training and organizing institutes, a community action agency, and a Federal welfare demonstration program.

Jeffrey’s research interests include studying financial welfare initiatives (micro-lending, asset building, financial and economic inclusion); exploring the impact of race, class and gender on well being; and practicing the collective application of spiritual principles to strengthen neighborhood life and address social ills.

Michael DeWane

School of Medicine

Michael DeWane was born the youngest of three boys raised in Minnesota. He enrolled in the Johns Hopkins University and graduated with a major and general honors in Public Health Studies. While an undergraduate, Michael was an Aitchison Public Service Fellow who pursued coursework that involved research at the primary, clinical, and population levels. Upon graduation he enrolled as an MD/MPH candidate at The University of Maryland, Baltimore. He completed the first two years of his medical school coursework and spent the 2011-2012 school year earning a Masters in Public Health that focuses on Epidemiology. During the 2013 - 2014 academic year, Michael's academic goals included learning the skills to be able to assist patients as well as populations.

Jennifer Jarin

School of Nursing

During the 2011 - 2012 academic year, Jennifer Jarin was a graduate student in the School of Nursing. She was pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing Degree with a specialty in Community and Public Health Nursing and a certification in Environmental Health. She practices as a registered nurse at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit. She also works as a graduate research assistant for the Baltimore City Health Department’s Reducing Asthma Disparities Program. Jennifer’s interests include pediatric growth and development, pediatric asthma, pulmonary toxicology, and environmental health.

In addition to the President’s Fellowship for the 2011-2012 school year, Jennifer was active on campus as a member of the School of Nursing’s Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the University’s chapter of the Global Medical Brigades, and the Wellness Hub’s campus apiary. Jennifer traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras for her first medical brigade in June 2011. Outside of academia, she is a member of the American Public Health Association, Phi Kappa Phi, and Bike Maryland.

Nikola Nable-Juris

Carey School of Law

During the 2011 - 2012 academic year, Nikola Nable-Juris was a rising 3L at the School of Law. She attended to the University of Virginia, majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology. After graduation, she worked in Juneau, Alaska, with pregnant and parenting teenagers and in Charlottesville, Virginia, at a domestic violence shelter. While in law school, she has interned at the Office of the Public Defender, Juvenile Division, the Administrative Law Unit of the Legal Aid Bureau, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. At the law school, she's involved in Law Students for Reproductive Justice, The Authority (an affordable housing journal), and the National Lawyers Guild. She also volunteers with the Baltimore City Teen Court Program and as an EMT with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad. Nikola is interested in the law as a tool for social change, particularly in intersections of reproductive justice, women's issues, youth advocacy, and human rights, and she hopes to use her law degree to work for social justice for marginalized communities.

Catherine Wilcow

School of Nursing

During the 2011 - 2012 academic year, Catherine Wilcow was a 2nd-degree student in the School of Nursing. Before coming to UMB, Catherine worked for nearly twenty years as a research scientist studying a range of biological phenomenon, from DNA rearrangement to insulin signaling. Although she loved research, Catherine decided to pursue a nursing degree in order to participate in translating research discoveries to improved patient care.

Catherine was raised in Columbia, MD and has lived in Baltimore City for most of my adult life. She is an active member of her children's school’s Parent-Teacher Organization, helping to raise funds for supplies and enrichment programming for the students and staff.